I think it’s going to be just fine… having Zoey here. We’re off to a pretty damn good start.
Chapter 18
Tenn
The pounding on Casey’s bedroom door jolts me upward and out of bed. Before my eyes are even fully focused, I know… just by sensing… that Casey’s not beside me. Rubbing my eyes, I turn to her side and yup… she’s gone.
“Come on, Dad,” Zoey yells through the closed door. “Get up. Casey and I are ready to go down to the beach.”
Christ… what do the women in my life have against sleeping in?
“I’m coming,” I grumble as I roll off the bed and because I’m a complete dude and Casey’s not around to laugh at me, I go ahead scratch my balls as I lurch into her bathroom.
Of course, I scratch my balls through the pair of workout shorts that Casey insisted I put on last night before we went to bed, just in case Zoey came into our room unannounced. Fat chance, since I locked the door, but it made Casey feel better.
I made sweet love to her last night with my hand clamped over her mouth to keep her quiet and moving extra slowly so the bed wouldn’t creak or the headboard slap against the wall. Zoey had been asleep for a few hours, having been exhausted from the afternoon we had spent out on the beach together, but I didn’t want to take any chances she’d hear us. She’s a smart kid. She knows what’s going down between Casey and me, but I don’t want her hearing what goes on between us in private.
After doing my business, brushing my teeth, and not bothering at all to try to tame my hair, which is sticking up all over the place, I decide against shaving and get dressed. A pair of swim trunks I had bought last week and a t-shirt are good enough for someone who promised to spend all day on the beach with his daughter.
When I get out into the kitchen, I see Zoey sitting at the kitchen table eating eggs and bacon and chattering at Casey, who is leaning back against the counter, holding a cup of coffee, and smiling down at my daughter. And I’m not sure how it’s possible, but Casey actually looks more beautiful right now than I’ve ever seen her before. No makeup… hair piled into a messy bunch on top of her head, a ratty old t-shirt, and a pair of shorts. And yeah, Casey is such a gorgeous woman, even without paying any attention to herself, she’s ten times more beautiful than most women.
But what really strikes me this morning is the way she’s looking at my daughter. A mixture of genuine interest and amused delight. She really, really likes Zoey, and there’s something about that right there that makes me very possessive feeling. Like I want to drag her down to the nearest tattoo parlor and have my name tattooed over her heart. And maybe her name over my heart.
Shaking my head, because fuck… I’m a putz to be thinking those things… I walk into the kitchen.
Walking up to Zoey first, I lean over and kiss her on the top of her head. “I can’t believe you’re waking me up so early, brat.”
She smiles while she happily chews her eggs, cutting a sly grin at Casey, which means she was behind this devious plot to get me out of bed.
Turning to Casey, I walk up to her, place my hands lightly on her hips, and lean in to brush my lips over hers. I slide my mouth over her cheek, right up to her ear where I murmur, “You were in on it too. Gonna make you pay for that later.”
And she fucking shivers… right there, over the promise in my voice. When she whispers back, “Lucky me,” I have to abruptly let her go and turn toward the coffee pot before I start to get a boner.
“Why are we up so early?” I ask curiously.
“Because… we want to get down on the beach,” Zoey says.
“And I’m needed for that because?” I prompt.
“Because we both want to spend time with you,” Casey says as she slaps my shoulder, “and I have to go into work at twelve today, so my time is limited.”
“Oh, yeah… right,” I say with a grin as I pour my coffee. “I’m made of so much damn awesomeness that my girls can’t get enough of me.”
Casey snorts, and Zoey gives me an eye roll.
I lean back against the counter, my own hip bumping up against Casey’s. Looking over at Zoey, I say, “You know… instead of the beach, maybe Casey could take you shopping this morning for a few new bathing suits.”
Casey remains noticeably quiet but Zoey gives me another eye roll, and then pins me with a look that says, “Seriously, Dad?”
“What?” I ask defensively. “What’s wrong with that? And what girl doesn’t love getting new clothes?”
“I have a bathing suit,” Zoey says before turning her eyes back to her eggs.
Since subtle didn’t work, I go for overt. “It’s too revealing,” I say pointedly. “Your mom shouldn’t have bought that for you.”
I expect Zoey to start a full-blown argument, so I’m surprised when Casey says, “I thought it was lovely.”
“See,” Zoey says as she shoots Casey an adoring look. “Casey thinks it’s fine.”
Yeah, well Casey doesn’t have a fourteen-year-old daughter who had plenty of boys on the beach looking at her yesterday. They were looking at Casey too, but that didn’t bother me. If I was going to beat up some punk kid for ogling, it will be for ogling my daughter, not Casey. She can hold her own.
Now, if it’s a full-grown man… maybe one with a big, fat wallet… then yeah, I wouldn’t mind stomping his ass into the sand if he ogled Casey, but that, thankfully, didn’t happen yesterday.
My head turns slowly to look at Casey, one eyebrow cocked. “You think it’s okay? What she had on yesterday?”
Casey looks a little torn, now that I’ve put her on the spot. I know she wants to stand by my side, and I’m sure she understands the parenting is left up to me, but I also know she wants to give her own opinion.
“Just give it to me straight, Goldie,” I say.
“Um… I think I’ll just stay out of this,” she says hesitantly, and I know her need to appease me is winning out over her need to bond with Zoey. She averts her eyes and turns to pour the rest of her coffee down the drain. “I’m actually going to go get my bathing suit on and I’ll be ready to go.”
Zoey doesn’t look back up at me but continues eating. I watch Casey walk away, and I’m stuck not knowing whether to argue with Zoey or not. I’m a little out of my depth here. It’s the first time I’ve had to worry about these things with my daughter, and I don’t want to fuck up. I want to be protective, but not stifling.
Pointing at the sink, I tell Zoey, “Wash your dish when you’re done.”
I follow Casey back into her bedroom, where I find her tying the strings of a tiny, white bikini at her hip. For a few moments, I get sidetracked, watching her work… looking at the narrow waist, the way her hips swell out beautifully, then her long, toned legs. When she finishes, she pulls her t-shirt off, and then I really get distracted by her beautiful breasts as they swing free. She pulls her bikini top on quickly over her head, the top strings already tied.
Casey shoots me a taunting look and says, “Want to tie the back for me?”
I stride over to her as she turns her back to me. I run my eyes down the golden skin of her back, focus in on a tiny mole she has just over the back of her right hip, and then to the beautiful ass below. I reach up, pull on the strings to make sure the cups are adequately covering her breasts and tie them at her back.
Stepping in closer to her, I bring my arms around and cup her breasts with my palms. She presses back into me and lets her head fall back onto my shoulder. I pinch each nipple between my thumbs and forefingers, relishing her whimper and the way they harden under my touch.
“Did I ever tell you how sexy you are?” I ask, tilting my head to run my lips up her neck.
She nods, and I can hear heat and longing in her voice. “You tell me a lot. You show me just as much.”
Releasing her breasts, I wrap my arms around her waist and squeeze her tight, resting my chin on her shoulder. “Seriously… tell me honestly what you think about Zoey’s bathing suit. You copped out in the kitchen.”